All Aboard!
The Sight Word Activity Express

Product Designer
    Karen J. Poppe

Research Assistant
    Laura Zierer

Graphic Designer
    Anthony Slowinski

Manufacturing Specialist
    Andrew Moulton

Pattern/Model Maker
    Tom Poppe

Technology Product Specialist
    Robert Conaghan

Catalog Number 1-03558-00 (Kit)
Part Number 61-369-005 (Large Print Guidebook)

Copyright © 2014
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
1839 Frankfort Avenue
P.O. Box 6085
Louisville, Kentucky 40206-0085
Phone: 502-895-2405
Toll Free: 800-223-1839
Fax: 502-899-2284

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America

This publication is protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, unless where noted on specific pages.

For information regarding permission, write to the following:
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
Resource Services
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206-0085
800-223-1839
www.aph.org or info@aph.org

Acknowledgements

In keeping with our philosophy to provide access to information for people who are blind or visually impaired, the American Printing House for the Blind provides accessible electronic versions of this Guidebook and related Assessment Checklist. A braille ready format (BRF) file of the Guidebook is available for free download at www.aph.org/manuals/.

Reference Citation:

Poppe, K. J. (2014). All Aboard! The Sight Word Activity Express. Louisville, KY: American Printing House for the Blind.

APH would like to thank the following Teachers of the Visually Impaired who contributed their time, expertise, and creativity to the field evaluation of All Aboard! The Sight Word Activity Express:

Darla Chambers, Elementary Educator, Illinois School for the Visually Impaired, Jacksonville, IL

Barbara Collins, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Stafford County Public Schools, Stafford, VA [currently teaching in Tampa, FL]

Stephanie Davis, Literary Coach, Kentucky School for the Blind, Louisville, KY

Judy Wiepert Dickson, Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments, Cherry Creek School District, Aurora, CO

Allison Fullenkamp, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Indianapolis, IN

Anna Gayle, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Braille and Art Teacher, Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, Baton Rouge, LA

Sister M. Elaine George, IHM, Librarian/Materials Assistant, St. Lucy Day School for Children with Visual Impairments, Philadelphia, PA

Jeri Hile, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Shawnee Mission School District, Overland Park, KS

Wendy Hirsch, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, NE

Kevin Hollinger, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Francis Howell School District, St. Charles, MO

Patricia Kohut, Special Education Teacher, Ossipee Central Elementary School, Center Ossipee, NH

Patricia Leader, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Orientation and Mobility Specialist/Program Coordinator, Cupertino School District/SELPA II Vision Program, Cupertino, CA

Mary Jo Martinez, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Chinle Unified School District #24, Chinle, AZ

Eric Shaw, Teacher of the Visually Impaired/Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Rutland, VT

Pam Snyder, Instructional Technology Specialist/Computer and Assistive Technology Teacher, Governor Morehead School for the Blind, Raleigh, NC

Jessi Troester, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, William Southern Elementary, Independence, MO

Karen Welch-Southerland, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Indianapolis, IN

Anne West, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Indianapolis, IN

Special thanks, also, to the 48 students who were involved in the field evaluation of this product.

All Aboard! The Sight Word Activity Express is produced through the special talents of many individuals at APH who performed necessary tasks to produce and package the kit. Thanks to those who helped with silkscreen setup, braille translation, vacuum-form tooling, HTML translation, electronic file preparation, printing, purchasing, and support services.

Proper Trademark Notice and Attribution

Abcteach® is a registered trademark of Sandra G. Kemsley.

Dolch® is a registered trademark of The Trustees of the Marguerite Pierce Dolch Trust.

Excel® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

VELCRO®, VELTEX®, and VELCOIN® are registered trademarks of Velcro Industries B.V.

Wikki Stix® is a registered trademark of Omnicor, Inc.

Product Overview

The Sight Word Activity Express can be used for instruction and assessment of a student’s recognition of sight or “high frequency” words—the most commonly used words in the English language. These words should be part of a bank of words that the student recalls “automatically without having to use word-identification clues such as phonetics” (Wormsley & D’Andrea, 1997). However, a student still needs to learn to decode or sound out the words in order to learn how to read new and unfamiliar words. Developing phonemic awareness is an important component to reading and should be addressed in addition to rote memorization of words. It is also important that sight words and sounds be introduced in meaningful contexts. Meaningful literacy instruction for students with visual impairments is supported by direct experiences with what they are reading and writing about (Koenig & Farrenkopf, 1997).

Developed by Edward W. Dolch in 1948, the Dolch® Basic Sight Word List consists of 220 common words including prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. A separate list of 95 nouns is also provided. Representing words frequently encountered in basal reading series, the 220 words are classified into the following grade level categories: Pre-primer, Primer, First, Second, and Third. The 95 nouns or “picture words” appear in a separate list. It is important to note, however, that the introduction order of the Dolch® words varies within Building on Patterns: Primary Braille Literacy Program published by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). In this specialized curriculum, the sequence of word introduction deviates from the original Dolch® word classifications to accommodate systematic introduction of braille contractions. Two words—slow and yours—are also added.

Components

    Contracted Braille/Print Magnetic Word Labels
    Image of label shape (rectangular with diagonal cut in upper-right corner) and color (yellow)

    The set of Contracted Braille/Print Magnetic Word Labels includes all of the sight words and common nouns. These labels are identified by black text on a yellow background with a diagonal orientation cut in the upper-right corner.
    
    Uncontracted Braille/Print Magnetic Word Labels
    Image of label shape (rectangular with curved cut in upper-right corner) and color (white)

    The set of Uncontracted Braille/Print Magnetic Word Labels includes letter-by-letter versions of all of the sight words and common nouns that use braille contractions in contracted braille format. For example, the contracted braille version of the word brown contains the contraction ow (⠪); in the uncontracted version of the word, the letters o (⠕) and w (⠺) are written separately. The Uncontracted Braille/Print Magnetic Word Labels are identified by black text on a white background with a curved orientation cut in the upper-right corner.

    Accessory Labels
    Image of label shape (rectangular with two opposite diagonal cuts) and color (blue)

    The set of Accessory Labels contains a variety of braille/print magnetic labels to accommodate sorting tasks. These labels are identified by white text on a blue background with two opposite diagonal orientation cuts. This set includes the following labels:
        contracted (2)
        uncontracted (2)
        noun (2)
        verb (2)
        pronoun
        adverb
        adjective
        preposition
        conjunction
        one-syllable
        two-syllable
        three-syllable
        opposites
        short vowel
        long vowel
        ch
        sh
        st
        th
        wh

    The set of Accessory Labels also includes blank, white magnetic labels. Additional words can be added by writing directly on the blank labels with a bold permanent marker and/or by affixing a brailled, clear label to the label’s surface. Use scissors to trim the labels to size and incorporate needed orientation cut(s).

    Magnetic/Dry-Erase Board
    The included magnetic/dry-erase board is ideal as a working surface for reading tasks, activities, and games when using the word labels. If a larger magnetic surface is needed, consider using a cookie sheet or APH’s All-in-One Board that accommodates a variety of reading angles.
    Photo of Magnetic Dry-Erase Board included in kit.

    Three-Ring Binder/Word Label Pocket Pages
    For convenient storage and portability, all of the word labels can be housed within the provided three-ring binder. The word labels can be sorted into the pocket pages according to the instructor’s storage preferences (e.g., alphabetical, contracted versus uncontracted, known versus unknown by student).

    Magnetic Sorting Strips
    Two lengths of blue, magnetic sorting strips—(10) 10.5-inch strips and (10) 8.5-inch strips—are provided to allow the construction of a variety of charts and grids. Examples of possible setups are shown:
    Photo Description: A three-column chart is built on the magnetic board with use of the sorting strips and word labels. The chart’s headings, left to right, are noun, verb, noun. Word labels are sorted within the chart like so: (first row) we ate cake; (second row) she gave money; (third row) I like you.
    Photo Description: A four-column chart is built on the magnetic board with use of the sorting strips and word labels. The chart’s headings, left to right, are ch, sh, th, and wh. Word labels are sorted within the chart like so: chair and children appear in the first column; shall and show appear in the second column; these and think appear in the third column; and which and white appear in the fourth column.
    Photo Description: Three blue sorting strips are arranged on the magnetic board like spokes of a wheel. Above it appears the word label opposites. Word labels with opposite meanings appear diagonally from each other within the open areas created by the sorting strips: cold/warm, night/day, girl/boy.

    The sorting strips can also be used to create guidelines on a magnetic surface to accommodate “writing” activities.
    Photo Description: Six sorting strips are applied to the magnetic board to create horizontal writing lines that are spaced approximately one inch apart. Each of two sentences is built with word labels positioned against a sorting strip for alignment purposes. The first sentence reads a bird was in the tree. The second sentence reads he went to school today.

    Clear-View Pouch
    A clear-view pouch is provided for convenient storage of the blue magnetic sorting strips within the binder.
    Photo shows blue magnetic strips housed in the provided clear-view pouch.

    Sight Word Assessment Checklist
    Use the provided Sight Word Assessment Checklist, also included as an Excel® spreadsheet, to monitor an individual student’s progress in reading and identifying the sight words and common nouns. The Excel® spreadsheet will automatically calculate the percentage of words recognized/read by the student. Space for comments is provided. Permission is given to copy the Sight Word Assessment Checklist as needed for recording the progress of multiple students.

Suggested Activities
The Sight Word Activity Express can be used for a variety of reading activities. The following suggestions should serve as “starter ideas” that can be expanded and enhanced by the instructor to meet the learning needs of an individual student. They are presented in no particular order and should be chosen based on the appropriateness for the student’s age, grade, and reading level. The student’s recognition of the sight words and common nouns can be tracked on the provided Sight Word Assessment Checklist.

    Have the student read and become familiar with new words that are displayed on the magnetic board.
    Say a word and have the student locate it from a list or word wall.
    Sort words into noun and verb classifications.
    Construct a Venn diagram to illustrate words that can be used as both a noun and a verb (e.g., wash, ring, hand, top, name, duck).
    Photo shows a two-circle Venn diagram drawn on a magnetic board with blue and green dry-erase markers. The blue circle is labeled “noun” and the green circle is labeled “verb.” The following word labels are sorted within the “noun” circle: street, kitty, and sheep. The following word labels are sorted within the “verb” circle: take, tell, sit. The following word labels are sorted within in the space created by the intersection of the two circles to denote use as both noun and verb: ring, name, wash.
    Sort one-syllable versus two-syllable words.
        One-Syllable: ride, made, hold, shall, nest, seed, etc.
        Two-Syllable: little, under, going, apple, sister, etc.
    Sort words with a long vowel sound versus a short vowel sound.
        Short Vowel: stop, red, black, ten, pull, wish, jump, etc.
        Long Vowel: make, play, take, five, old, use, grow, etc.
    Review and read words with consonant blends (e.g., shall, then, drink, start, where, grass).
    Review and read words with the same vowel diagraph.
        oo: too, soon
        ee: seed, sleep
    Review and read words with the same diphthong.
        oy: toy, boy
        ou: house, ground
        ow: cow, now
    Arrange a list of words in alphabetical order.
    Unscramble/rearrange words to create a sentence.

Important: When the magnetic word labels are placed side by side during sentence-building activities, standard braille spacing between words is not maintained; this is unavoidable. Supplement “writing” activities with sentences brailled onto paper using a braillewriter or slate and stylus. Add capitalization and punctuation as necessary.

    Select an appropriate word from a list to complete a sentence or fill in a blank.
        The boy said _____. (good-bye)
        A _____ sat in the nest. (bird)
        The bed _____ not made. (was)

    For cloze activities, use a tactile magnetic shape (e.g., star, circle) to represent a missing word in a sentence.
    Construct sentences using pronouns.
        We want to sit together.
        He went home today.
        I found the doll.
        She had a birthday.
    Identify and read words that begin a question (e.g., who, when, will, where, would, why, which, shall, may, how, what).
    Review words representing various parts of speech.
        Prepositions: in, so, into, as, etc.
        Conjunctions: and, or, but, for, etc.
        Adverbs: well, soon, always, etc.
        Adjectives: kind, round, pretty, funny, etc.
    Build compound words (e.g., sunflower, homework, seesaw, daylight, greenhouse)
    Create adjective-noun combinations (e.g., yellow bird, clean table, funny thing, round cake, little seed, cold milk)
    Pair contracted braille words with uncontracted braille words.
        around:
        contracted: ⠜⠨⠙
        uncontracted: ⠁⠗⠕⠥⠝⠙
        chicken:
        contracted: ⠡⠊⠉⠅⠢
        uncontracted: ⠉⠓⠊⠉⠅⠑⠝
    Pair related words (e.g., kitty/cat, garden/flower, robin/bird, game/toy).
    Pair rhyming words (e.g., boat/coat, top/stop, sleep/sheep, sing/ring).
    Pair words that have opposite meanings (e.g., old/new, warm/cold, go/stop, came/went, before/after).
    Identify and read words that describe the following:
        Time (e.g., morning, day, night, now, then)
        Colors (e.g., blue, brown, black, red, yellow, white, green)
        Numbers/quantities (e.g., two, three, much, many, all)
        Size (e.g., small, little, big, full)
        Parts of the human body (e.g., leg, hand, eye, feet, head)
        Outside features (e.g., sun, farm, hill, grass, street, ground, nest, wind, rain, tree)
        Features of a house (e.g., window, floor, bed, chair, door)
        Food (e.g., egg, bread, corn, apple, milk)
        Animals (e.g., duck, pig, bear, squirrel, fish, sheep, chicken, cow)
        People (e.g., farmer, mother, sister, boy, children, men)
        Events (e.g., Christmas, party, birthday)
    Review words that contain silent letters (e.g., light, window, coat, eight).
    Review words with various suffix endings (e.g., er, ing, en).
    Review words made plural by adding s (e.g., cake, egg, hand, farm), or es (e.g., box, grass), or ies (e.g., baby, kitty, party).
    Review words with double consonants (e.g., kitty, yellow, squirrel, pretty, rabbit).
    Review words with double vowels (e.g., seed, school, sheep, keep, soon).
    Practice reading words with braille contraction reversals (e.g., ch and st, t and ou).

Game Examples

Use The Sight Word Activity Express to play a variety of games to practice reading within a fun context.

Which One Doesn’t Belong?
Give a list of words that share something in common, with the exception of one word. Can the student identify the misfit?

Example: dog    cow    chair (misfit word)    cat   bear
[Common words describe animals.]

Example:  start     party     carry     car (misfit word) farmer
[Common words have ar in the middle of the word.]

Example:  green   walk (misfit word) robin  bear   street
[Common words contain braille contractions.]

Bingo
Build a bingo card on a magnetic board using the provided sorting strips. Place a magnetic shape (e.g., star) in the center square to represent the “free space.” Randomly place recently reviewed words within the remaining squares. If a word is called, the student can mark the word on his bingo card. Printable Dolch® Word Bingo cards are available from various online sources such as http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/Dolch/bingo/bingo_index.html.
Photo Description: The blue sorting strips are used to create a 6 x 5 bingo card on the magnetic board; the letters B-I-N-G-O are written across the first row. A magnetic star is used to represent the “free space.” Word labels are inserted into the open areas of the created grid. Second row: make, time, robin, better, duck. Third row: carry, tree, snow, apple, kind. Fourth row: black, party, (star shape), bread, stick. Fifth row: bird, sleep, big, brown, thank. Sixth row: rain, sister, play, seven, three.

Apple Picking

Draw a tree on a magnetic/dry-erase surface. Cut out paper apples and “hang” them from the branches by anchoring them with selected magnetic word labels. Position the magnetic surface at an angle. If the student reads the word correctly, she can “pick it” from the tree by removing the label and letting the apple fall to the “ground.”
Photo Description: A tree is drawn on the magnetic board with dry-erase markers. Cut-out paper apples are secured to tree branches with magnetic word labels (apple, bird, robin, play, rain, tree).

Lily Pad Hop
Create a tactile/visual “leaping” path (using graphic art tape or Wikki Stix® craft yarn) along a small number of lily pads made from paper cutouts or drawn with a dry-erase marker. Magnetic tabs (available from office supply stores) can be affixed to the back of the paper lily pads for secure positioning on the board. Have each lily pad represent a word of a short sentence. Initially place the words out of sequence along the path and have the student rearrange them to form a coherent sentence.
Photo Description: A frog’s leaping path from one lily pad to another is drawn on the magnetic board using dry-erase markers. A paper cutout of a frog and five lily pads are secured to the board with magnetic-backed tabs. Word labels are shown arranged in the correct order from one lily pad to the next to read as a coherent sentence: we like the warm water

Mystery Word
Display five to ten word labels on the magnetic board. Progressively provide clues about one of the words until the student correctly deduces which is being described.

Word Chain
Take turns making a chain of word labels. Each word label added to the chain should begin with the last letter or sound of the previously connected word (e.g., bird, drink, keep, paper, robin…). Who can keep the chain going the longest?

Sight Word List
The sight words and common nouns are listed in alphabetical order within this section. Words followed by an asterisk contain braille contractions; consequently, these words appear in both the Contracted Braille Set (yellow labels) and the Uncontracted Braille Set (white labels). This listing is a combination of the 220 sight words and 95 common nouns. The words slow and yours have been added because they are covered in APH’s Building on Patterns: Primary Braille Literacy Program.

The Sight Word Activity Express is compliant with Unified English Braille (UEB). Five sight words are affected by the adoption (in 2012) and implementation (by 2016) of UEB. Therefore, UEB versions of by (⠃⠽), come (⠉⠕⠍⠑), into (⠔⠞⠕), table (⠞⠁⠃⠇⠑), and to (⠞⠕) are provided. For more information and updates on Unified English Braille code, visit the Braille Authority of North America’s (BANA’s) website at www.brailleauthority.org.

a       ⠁
about* 	⠁⠃
after* 	⠁⠋
again* 	⠁⠛
all 	⠁⠇⠇
always* ⠁⠇⠺
am      ⠁⠍
an      ⠁⠝
and* 	⠯
any 	⠁⠝⠽
apple 	⠁⠏⠏⠇⠑
are* 	⠜⠑
around*	⠜⠨⠙
as*     ⠵
ask 	⠁⠎⠅
at      ⠁⠞
ate 	⠁⠞⠑
away 	⠁⠺⠁⠽
baby 	⠃⠁⠃⠽
back 	⠃⠁⠉⠅
ball 	⠃⠁⠇⠇
be* 	⠆
bear* 	⠃⠑⠜
because* ⠆⠉
bed* 	⠃⠫
been* 	⠃⠑⠢
before*	⠆⠋
bell 	⠃⠑⠇⠇
best* 	⠃⠑⠌
better*	⠃⠑⠞⠞⠻
big 	⠃⠊⠛
bird 	⠃⠊⠗⠙
birthday* ⠃⠊⠗⠹⠐⠙
black 	⠃⠇⠁⠉⠅
blue 	⠃⠇⠥⠑
boat 	⠃⠕⠁⠞
both* 	⠃⠕⠹
box 	⠃⠕⠭
boy 	⠃⠕⠽
bread* 	⠃⠗⠂⠙
bring* 	⠃⠗⠬
brother* ⠃⠗⠕⠮⠗
brown* 	⠃⠗⠪⠝
but* 	⠃
buy 	⠃⠥⠽
by      ⠃⠽
cake 	⠉⠁⠅⠑
call 	⠉⠁⠇⠇
came 	⠉⠁⠍⠑
can* 	⠉
car* 	⠉⠜
carry* 	⠉⠜⠗⠽
cat 	⠉⠁⠞
chair* 	⠡⠁⠊⠗
chicken* ⠡⠊⠉⠅⠢
children* ⠡⠝
Christmas* ⠠⠡⠗⠊⠌⠍⠁⠎
clean* 	⠉⠇⠂⠝
coat 	⠉⠕⠁⠞
cold 	⠉⠕⠇⠙
come 	⠉⠕⠍⠑
corn 	⠉⠕⠗⠝
could* 	⠉⠙
cow* 	⠉⠪
cut 	⠉⠥⠞
day* 	⠐⠙
did 	⠙⠊⠙
do* 	⠙
does 	⠙⠕⠑⠎
dog 	⠙⠕⠛
doll 	⠙⠕⠇⠇
done* 	⠙⠐⠕
don't 	⠙⠕⠝⠄⠞
door 	⠙⠕⠕⠗
down* 	⠙⠪⠝
draw 	⠙⠗⠁⠺
drink* 	⠙⠗⠔⠅
duck 	⠙⠥⠉⠅
eat 	⠑⠁⠞
egg 	⠑⠛⠛
eight* 	⠑⠊⠣⠞
every* 	⠑
eye 	⠑⠽⠑
fall 	⠋⠁⠇⠇
far* 	⠋⠜
farm* 	⠋⠜⠍
farmer*	⠋⠜⠍⠻
fast* 	⠋⠁⠌
father* ⠐⠋
feet 	⠋⠑⠑⠞
find* 	⠋⠔⠙
fire 	⠋⠊⠗⠑
first* 	⠋⠌
fish*	⠋⠊⠩
five 	⠋⠊⠧⠑
floor 	⠋⠇⠕⠕⠗
flower*	⠋⠇⠪⠻
fly 	⠋⠇⠽
for* 	⠿
found* 	⠋⠨⠙
four* 	⠋⠳⠗
from* 	⠋
full 	⠋⠥⠇⠇
funny 	⠋⠥⠝⠝⠽
game 	⠛⠁⠍⠑
garden* ⠛⠜⠙⠑⠝
gave 	⠛⠁⠧⠑
get 	⠛⠑⠞
girl 	⠛⠊⠗⠇
give 	⠛⠊⠧⠑
go* 	⠛
goes 	⠛⠕⠑⠎
going* 	⠛⠕⠬
good* 	⠛⠙
good-bye* ⠛⠙⠤⠃⠽⠑
got 	⠛⠕⠞
grass 	⠛⠗⠁⠎⠎
green* 	⠛⠗⠑⠢
ground*	⠛⠗⠨⠙
grow* 	⠛⠗⠪
had* 	⠸⠓
hand* 	⠓⠯
has 	⠓⠁⠎
have* 	⠓
he      ⠓⠑
head* 	⠓⠂⠙
help 	⠓⠑⠇⠏
her* 	⠓⠻
here*   ⠐⠓
hill 	⠓⠊⠇⠇
him*	⠓⠍
his* 	⠦
hold 	⠓⠕⠇⠙
home 	⠓⠕⠍⠑
horse 	⠓⠕⠗⠎⠑
hot 	⠓⠕⠞
house* 	⠓⠳⠎⠑
how* 	⠓⠪
hurt 	⠓⠥⠗⠞
I       ⠠⠊
if      ⠊⠋
in* 	⠔
into* 	⠔⠞⠕
is      ⠊⠎
it* 	⠭
its* 	⠭⠎
jump 	⠚⠥⠍⠏
just* 	⠚
keep 	⠅⠑⠑⠏
kind* 	⠅⠔⠙
kitty 	⠅⠊⠞⠞⠽
know* 	⠐⠅
laugh* 	⠇⠁⠥⠣
leg 	⠇⠑⠛
let 	⠇⠑⠞
letter*	⠇⠗
light* 	⠇⠊⠣⠞
like* 	⠇
little*	⠇⠇
live 	⠇⠊⠧⠑
long* 	⠇⠰⠛
look 	⠇⠕⠕⠅
made 	⠍⠁⠙⠑
make 	⠍⠁⠅⠑
man 	⠍⠁⠝
many* 	⠸⠍
may 	⠍⠁⠽
me      ⠍⠑
men* 	⠍⠢
milk 	⠍⠊⠇⠅
money* 	⠍⠐⠕⠽
morning* ⠍⠕⠗⠝⠬
mother* ⠐⠍
much* 	⠍⠡
must* 	⠍⠌
my      ⠍⠽
myself* ⠍⠽⠋
name* 	⠐⠝
nest* 	⠝⠑⠌
never* 	⠝⠐⠑
new 	⠝⠑⠺
night* 	⠝⠊⠣⠞
no      ⠝⠕
not* 	⠝
now* 	⠝⠪
of* 	⠷
off* 	⠷⠋
old 	⠕⠇⠙
on      ⠕⠝
once 	⠕⠝⠉⠑
one* 	⠐⠕
only 	⠕⠝⠇⠽
open* 	⠕⠏⠢
or      ⠕⠗
our* 	⠳⠗
out* 	⠳
over* 	⠕⠧⠻
own* 	⠪⠝
paper* 	⠏⠁⠏⠻
party* 	⠐⠏⠽
pick 	⠏⠊⠉⠅
picture ⠏⠊⠉⠞⠥⠗⠑
pig 	⠏⠊⠛
play 	⠏⠇⠁⠽
please*	⠏⠇⠂⠎⠑
pretty 	⠏⠗⠑⠞⠞⠽
pull 	⠏⠥⠇⠇
put 	⠏⠥⠞
rabbit* ⠗⠁⠆⠊⠞
rain* 	⠗⠁⠔
ran 	⠗⠁⠝
read* 	⠗⠂⠙
red* 	⠗⠫
ride 	⠗⠊⠙⠑
right* 	⠐⠗
ring* 	⠗⠬
robin* 	⠗⠕⠃⠔
round* 	⠗⠨⠙
run 	⠗⠥⠝
said* 	⠎⠙
Santa Claus ⠠⠎⠁⠝⠞⠁⠀⠠⠉⠇⠁⠥⠎
saw 	⠎⠁⠺
say 	⠎⠁⠽
school*	⠎⠡⠕⠕⠇
see 	⠎⠑⠑
seed* 	⠎⠑⠫
seven* 	⠎⠑⠧⠢
shall* 	⠩
she* 	⠩⠑
sheep* 	⠩⠑⠑⠏
shoe* 	⠩⠕⠑
show* 	⠩⠪
sing* 	⠎⠬
sister*	⠎⠊⠌⠻
sit 	⠎⠊⠞
six 	⠎⠊⠭
sleep 	⠎⠇⠑⠑⠏
slow* 	⠎⠇⠪
small 	⠎⠍⠁⠇⠇
snow* 	⠎⠝⠪
so* 	⠎
some* 	⠐⠎
song* 	⠎⠰⠛
soon 	⠎⠕⠕⠝
squirrel ⠎⠟⠥⠊⠗⠗⠑⠇
start* 	⠌⠜⠞
stick* 	⠌⠊⠉⠅
stop* 	⠌⠕⠏
street*	⠌⠗⠑⠑⠞
sun 	⠎⠥⠝
table 	⠞⠁⠃⠇⠑
take 	⠞⠁⠅⠑
tell 	⠞⠑⠇⠇
ten* 	⠞⠢
thank* 	⠹⠁⠝⠅
that* 	⠞
the* 	⠮
their* 	⠸⠮
them* 	⠮⠍
then* 	⠮⠝
there* 	⠐⠮
these* 	⠘⠮
they* 	⠮⠽
thing* 	⠹⠬
think* 	⠹⠔⠅
this* 	⠹
those* 	⠘⠹
three* 	⠹⠗⠑⠑
time* 	⠐⠞
to      ⠞⠕
today* 	⠞⠙
together* ⠞⠛⠗
too 	⠞⠕⠕
top 	⠞⠕⠏
toy 	⠞⠕⠽
tree 	⠞⠗⠑⠑
try 	⠞⠗⠽⠀
two 	⠞⠺⠕
under* 	⠐⠥
up      ⠥⠏
upon*   ⠘⠥
us* 	⠥
use 	⠥⠎⠑
very* 	⠧
walk 	⠺⠁⠇⠅
want 	⠺⠁⠝⠞
warm* 	⠺⠜⠍
was* 	⠴
wash* 	⠺⠁⠩
watch* 	⠺⠁⠞⠡
water* 	⠺⠁⠞⠻
way 	⠺⠁⠽
we      ⠺⠑
well 	⠺⠑⠇⠇
went* 	⠺⠢⠞
were* 	⠶
what* 	⠱⠁⠞
when* 	⠱⠢
where* 	⠐⠱
which* 	⠱
white* 	⠱⠊⠞⠑
who* 	⠱⠕
why* 	⠱⠽
will* 	⠺
wind* 	⠺⠔⠙
window*	⠺⠔⠙⠪
wish* 	⠺⠊⠩
with* 	⠾
wood 	⠺⠕⠕⠙
work* 	⠐⠺
would* 	⠺⠙
write 	⠺⠗⠊⠞⠑
yellow*	⠽⠑⠇⠇⠪
yes 	⠽⠑⠎
you*	⠽
your* 	⠽⠗
yours* 	⠽⠗⠎

Sight Word Assessment Checklist

Use the Sight Word Assessment Checklist to record a student’s recognition of each sight word and common noun. The 220 common sight words appear first in the checklist and according to the original grade level categories, followed by a list of the 95 common nouns. Two words, slow and yours, have been added to the Second Grade category; these two words are addressed in APH’s Building on Patterns: Primary Braille Literacy Program. Words in each grade level category appear in alphabetical order. For the instructor’s convenience, an Excel® spreadsheet of the Assessment Checklist is provided. The spreadsheet automatically calculates the percentage of words recognized within each subcategory. Save each individual student’s progress as a separate file. Enter an “X” or preferred symbol next to each word successfully recognized on a reported date. Press the Enter key or click outside of the cell so that data is properly recorded and accurate percentages are calculated.

Sight Word Assessment Checklist
Student Name:
Instructor:

Pre-Primer
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
a 			
and 			
away 			
big 			
blue 			
can 			
come 			
down 			
find 			
for 			
funny 			
go 			
help 			
here 			
I 			
in 			
is 			
it 			
jump 			
little 			
look 			
make 			
me 			
my 			
not 			
one 			
play 			
red 			
run 			
said 			
see 			
the 			
three 			
to 			
two 			
up 			
we 			
where 			
yellow 			
you 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 40 	____out of 40 	____out of 40

Primer
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
all 			
am 			
are 			
at 			
ate 			
be 			
black 			
brown 			
but 			
came 			
did 			
do 			
eat 			
four 			
get 			
good 			
have 			
he 			
into 			
like 			
must 			
new 			
no 			
now 			
on 			
our 			
out 			
please 			
pretty 			
ran 			
ride 			
saw 			
say 			
she 			
so 			
soon 			
that 			
there 			
they 			
this 			
too 			
under 			
want 			
was 			
well 			
went 			
what 			
white 			
who 			
will 			
with 			
yes 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 52 	____out of 52 	____out of 52

First Grade
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
after 			
again 			
an 			
any 			
as 			
ask 			
by 			
could 			
every 			
fly 			
from 			
give 			
going 			
had 			
has 			
her 			
him 			
his 			
how 			
just 			
know 			
let 			
live 			
may 			
of 			
old 			
once 			
open 			
over 			
put 			
round 			
some 			
stop 			
take 			
thank 			
them 			
then 			
think 			
walk 			
were 			
when 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 41 	____out of 41 	____out of 41

Second Grade
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
always 			
around 			
because 			
been 			
before 			
best 			
both 			
buy 			
call 			
cold 			
does 			
don't 			
fast 			
first 			
five 			
found 			
gave 			
goes 			
green 			
its 			
made 			
many 			
off 			
or 			
pull 			
read 			
right 			
sing 			
sit 			
sleep 			
slow 			
tell 			
their 			
these 			
those 			
upon 			
us 			
use 			
very 			
wash 			
which 			
why 			
wish 			
work 			
would 			
write 			
your 			
yours 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 48 	____out of 48 	____out of 48

Third Grade
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
about 			
better 			
bring 			
carry 			
clean 			
cut 			
done 			
draw 			
drink 			
eight 			
fall 			
far 			
full 			
got 			
grow 			
hold 			
hot 			
hurt 			
if 			
keep 			
kind 			
laugh 			
light 			
long 			
much 			
myself 			
never 			
only 			
own 			
pick 			
seven 			
shall 			
show 			
six 			
small 			
start 			
ten 			
today 			
together 			
try 			
warm 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 41 	____out of 41 	____out of 41

Nouns
Sight Word 	Date
		__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__ 	__ /__ /20__
apple 			
baby 			
back 			
ball 			
bear 			
bed 			
bell 			
bird 			
birthday 			
boat 			
box 			
boy 			
bread 			
brother 			
cake 			
car 			
cat 			
chair 			
chicken 			
children 			
Christmas 			
coat 			
corn 			
cow 			
day 			
dog 			
doll 			
door 			
duck 			
egg 			
eye 			
farm 			
farmer 			
father 			
feet 			
fire 			
fish 			
floor 			
flower 			
game 			
garden 			
girl 			
good-bye 			
grass 			
ground 			
hand 			
head 			
hill 			
home 			
horse 			
house 			
kitty 			
leg 			
letter 			
man 			
men 			
milk 			
money 			
morning 			
mother 			
name 			
nest 			
night 			
paper 			
party 			
picture 			
pig 			
rabbit 			
rain 			
ring 			
robin 			
Santa Claus 			
school 			
seed 			
sheep 			
shoe 			
sister 			
snow 			
song 			
squirrel 			
stick 			
street 			
sun 			
table 			
thing 			
time 			
top 			
toy 			
tree 			
watch 			
water 			
way 			
wind 			
window 			
wood 			
Number Recognized 	____out of 95 	____out of 95 	____out of 95

Related APH Products

The Sight Word Activity Express can be used in combination with the following APH products:

Magnetic Boards/Surfaces

All-In-One Board
(Magnetic/Velcro®/Dry Erase)
(1-08836-00)

All-In-One Board: Student Model
(1-08833-00)
Photo of All-in-One Board: Student Model. Dry Erase and Magnetic side (magnetic pieces not included); VELCRO® side (tactile pieces not included)

Braille Literacy Programs & Reading Materials

Braille Contraction Cards (1-03561-00)
Large print/braille flashcards (measuring 3.5 x 2 inches) can be used for practicing Literary Braille contractions.

Building on Patterns: Primary Braille Literacy Program
A complete primary literacy program designed to teach beginning braille users to read, write, and spell in braille. Visit www.aph.org for a complete listing of Building on Patterns materials.
Photo of front cover of Building on Patterns booklet, Teacher’s Edition of First Grade

Expanded Dolch® Word Cards (1-03560-00)
Flashcards (measuring 3.5 x 2 inches) can be used for reading practice or informal assessment of a student’s ability to read words in contracted braille and spell words in uncontracted braille.
Photo of Expanded Dolch® Word Cards

Quick Check: Index of Literary Braille Signs
(Print: 7-35960-01; Braille: 5-35960-01)
This booklet contains many of the common English braille contractions, including word signs, short-form words, punctuation, and composition signs.
Photo of front cover of Quick Check: Index of Literary Braille Signs

Word PlayHouse (1-03562-00)
Over 400 letter tiles (with hook material backing) are useful for teaching letter recognition, braille code recognition, decoding, vocabulary, and spelling skills.
Photo of Word PlayHouse and related components

Accessories

Braillable Labels and Sheets
(Full-size 8.5 x 11 inches: 1-08874-00; Pin-Fed 8.5 x 11 inches: 1-08875-00)
Clear, blank self-adhesive sheets that can be brailled and used to create needed labels.
Photo of front cover of Braillable Labels and Sheets

Feel 'n Peel Stickers
Alphabet (1-08849-00)
Literary Numbers (1-08865-00)
Nemeth Braille/Print Numbers 0-100: (1-08876-00)
Print/braille stickers can be applied to magnetic sheets and used in combination with a magnetic board.
Photo of front cover of Nemeth Braille/Print Numbers 0-100

Textured Sorting Circles and Shapes (1-08834-00)
Assorted magnetic-backed shapes are provided in a variety of textures, sizes, and colors. Magnetic sorting circles are also included for building Venn diagrams on a magnetic surface.
Photo of Textured Sorting Circles and Shapes and related components

Resources

Dolch® Word Websites

The following websites provide additional information about Dolch® Words and activity ideas:

abcteach®: The Educator’s Online Resource: Dolch® Word Cards
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/prek-early-childhood-abc-activities-dolch-word-cards-29-2-1

Apples4theteacher: Dolch® Sight Words
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/languagearts/dolch-sight-words/

Dolch Kit®
http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/Dolch/Dolch.html

Dolch® Word: Free Sight Word Games and Printables
http://www.dolchword.net/dolch-word-list-frequency-grade.html

Enchanted Learning: Dolch® Words
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dolch/

K12Reader: Reading Instruction Resources for Teachers and Parents: Dolch® Word List Worksheets and Activities
http://www.k12reader.com/dolch-word-list/

Mrs. Perkins’ Dolch® Words: Helping Your Children Read
http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm

References and Further Reading

Browder, D. M., & Lalli, J. S. (1991). Review of research on sight word instruction. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 12, 203-228.

Browder, D. M., & Xin, Y. P. (1998). A meta-analysis and review of sight word research and its implications for teaching functional reading to individuals with moderate and severe disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 32(3), 130-154.

Day, J. N., McDonnell, A. P., & O’Neill, R. (2008) Teaching beginning braille reading using an alphabet or uncontracted braille approach. Journal of Behavorial Education, 17, 253-277.

Degler, L. S., & Risko, V. J. (1979). Teaching reading to mainstreamed sensory impaired children. The Reading Teacher, 32(8), 921-925.

Dolch, E. W. (1948). Problems in reading. Champain, IL: The Garrard Press.

Koenig, A. J., & Farrenkopf, C. (1997) Essential experiences to undergird the early development of literacy. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 91(1), 14-24.

Wormsley, D. P., & D’Andrea, F. M. (1997). Instructional strategies for braille literacy. New York: AFB Press.
